Nigerian authorities capture and charge spies
(2 votes, average: 3.5 out of 5)
A well known US aid worker, Judith Burdin Asuni, and two German journalists, Florian Alexander Opitz and Andy Lehmann, were captured and held on suspicion of espionage and terrorism. This resulted in the Nigerian authorities charging two Germans, an American and a Nigerian with breaching the official secrets act.
The German journalists were accused of compromising Nigerian national security by taking video footage and photographs of oil facilities in the oil-rich Niger Delta. The US aid worker Asuni and the Nigerian man, Danjuma Saidu, are accused of helping the journalists to obtain visas using falsified information. The journalists face up to 14 years in prison if convicted.
When the journalists were captured, they were filming masked youths from a Delta militants group conducting a violent campaign for a larger share of oil revenues generated from oil in the region. The research was being made for a possible documentary for German television.
The US aid worker, Mrs Asuni, runs a high profile independent organisation called Academic Associates Peace Work, and has worked with the Nigerian police to improve their skills with conflict management.
